Top 10 Amazing Temples in Southeast Asia

Our ancestors have remained many achievements for their next generations; among those achievements, temple is one of the most long-term, engrossing and priceless possessions. Each temple was built mostly for religious purpose, and we should be proud of their achievements because in ancient time there was not any machinery used to build, only empty hands, clever brains and other resources were used to construct these wonderful temple. Meanwhile, if you visit any countries in Asia, please don’t miss out to take a tour those fascinating temples which are being introduced at the following.

1.Angkor Wat, Cambodia

1.Angkor Wat, Cambodia

is one of the most amazing temples in the world. It is located in Siem Reap province; the overall dimension is 401acrs, and from the bottom to the peak point of the temple is 700 feet. Angkor Wat was constructed in the 12th century by well-known and powerful Khmer Emperor-Suryavarman II; in addition, the construction was built to dedicate to Vishnu, the Hindu God. In the following era of Khmer Empire, structures, status, and inscriptions were sculpted along the wall of Angkor Wat temple; those are hidden greatest meanings behind Buddha scenes. Distinguishing from other temples, Angkor Wat faces to the West; visitors climb to the peak point to sight stunning sunset after taking a long wander around temple. Even though some parts of decorations were damaged or discoloured, the beauty of the temple still retains a warmest welcome to all visitors and attracts more and more tourists come to visit. Kingdom of wonder, temple of wonder, and countless sculptural decorations of wonder are always hospitable to every visitor. Don’t miss out this remarkable construction if you come to Cambodia.

2.Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan

2.Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan

was built at the icon of high cliff about 3000 meter above sea levels in Paro Valleys in 1692. It is the most scared place in Bhutan; it is also a mediation place of second Buddha, Gura Padmasambhava who spread Buddhism theory in Tibet. In 1998, Tigers Net Monastery was restored after a harsh fire. To reach this place, visitors need to take long-hour tour; moreover, after they reach there, beautiful scenery behind this holly place eases their anxiety and tiredness and remains peaceful in their mind. There is a festival called Tsechu celebrates in Paro Valleys so as to sacrifice, respect and remind of second Buddha.

3.Temple of Heaven, China

3.Temple of Heaven, China

is a Taoist temple built by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century; it is situated in Beijing the capital of China. The reason of constructing this temple is to pray for good harvest and for decreasing wrongdoings. The amazing temple is designed in circular shape denotes Heaven while in square shape denotes the Earth. The most interesting part of the temple is its yard where visitors can do meditations and exercise.

4.Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, India

4.Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, India

India, the birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism, emerges a wonderful temple which is sited in Tamilnadu. This temple was built across an area of 156 acres, and it is the most tremendous temple in the country and the most significant Hindu temple which is dedicated to lord Vishnu in the world. There are 21 gopurams (entrances); the main gopurams was made of gold, and each gopurams was painted with different colours made the entire temple more attractive and colourful.

5.Wat Rong Khun, Thailand

5.Wat Rong Khun, Thailand

is a mixture design of Hinduism and Buddhism. Some status and images represent Hindu whereas the whole temple painted white colour denotes purity of Lord Buddha and glittering glass like the crystal in the temple symbolizes eternal wisdom from Buddha. Wat Rong Khun is located in Chiang Rai, and now new paintings of Buddha images are continuously painted, and those will be completed around 90 years.

6.Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

6.Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

remains unknown of its exact construction year, but archaeologists estimate that it was set up between the 6th and 10th century. It is one of the most famous Buddha temples in Asia which has Buddha eight hairs within the temple, located in Yangon. Shwedagon Pagoda has another name which is “Golden Temple” refers to temple painted in gold colour. However, since one of Mon queens started to donate her weight in gold to the temple, so the “Golden Temple” means the temple is covered by gold. After that, the bringing-gold tradition continues until present time. Myanmar families save some of their income to buy gold leafs to stick to the temple wall. There are also 5000 diamonds and 2000 rubies covered the temple.

7.Borobudur, Indonesia

7.Borobudur, Indonesia

was deserted for thousands of years by volcanic eruption. Until 1814, it was rediscovered. It was built in the 8th century and situated in central Java of Indonesia. This giant temple was used with two millions of volcanic stones, and there were hundreds of Buddha statues placed within the temple. Moreover, lotus flower like structure around ancient lake symbolized the birth of Buddha; this temple is believed as a textbook of Buddhism which shares the principles of his teaching because countless inscriptions and sculptures describe the legend of Buddha’s life.

8.Chion-in Temple, Japan

8.Chion-in Temple, Japan

was built in 1234 CE to respect to the founder of Jodo named Honen. There is a massive bell weighing 74 tons, and during New Year the bell rang a loud beautiful sound; it needs 17 to ring the bell. The most interesting aspect of this temple is Nightingale floor or uguisu-ban designed to give an alert of who is coming.

9.Jetavanaramaya, Sri Lanka

9.Jetavanaramaya, Sri Lanka

is situated in Anuradhapura. It was built in the 4th century by the king Mahasena to connect god and human begins, and it is dedicated to Theravada and Mahayana, the Buddhist followers. It is also used as a monastery where stays 10000 Buddhist monks. Covering an area of 5.6 hectares, Jetavanaramaya was used 93 million baked bricks for its construction.

10.Taj Mahal, India

10.Taj Mahal, India

was constructed in the 1600s for expressing an infinite love between Emperor Shah Jahan and his deceased wife. It is sited in Argra, and it attracts around 2 to 4 million tourists annually. Nowadays, this white marble tomb is being affected gradually due to air pollution, and that causes the tomb to be discoloured and lost its shining.
At last, temples are very valuable; therefore, join hands together to preserve them. If you do not contribute in protection, don’t damage them as they are also a part of public property.